Bundle throwing handle device



June 5, 1956 G. B. JACOBS BUNDLE THROWING HANDLE DEVICE Filed Aug. 18,1954 United States Patent BUNDLE THROWING HANDLE DEVICE George B.Jacobs, Jacksonville, Fla.

Application August 18, 1954, Serial No. 450,590

2 Claims. (Cl. 294-26) My invention pertains to bundle throwing handledevices, particularly devices comprising a lip for releasably engagingthe cord, wire or the likewhich binds a package or bundle and a handleportion attached to the lip.

A general object of my invention is to provide improved means for themanual handling of packages and bundles.

My invention is particularly adapted for use in the handling ofnewspapers. It is the common practice to bind newspapers together intobundles as soon as the newspapers, which have been printed and puttogether, can be collected into bundles. The bundles are tied or boundwith a tout cord or with wire, the binding, on city newspapers, beingapplied by a machine, the bundle comprising perhaps 25 or 100 newspapersand typically weighing between 30 to 70 pounds, more or less. Thebundles issuing from the binding machine are transferred, usually byhand, to a mechanical conveyor which carries the bundles to and along atruck loading platform. Men who serve as loaders are stationed along theplatform. The loaders grab bundles from the conveyor and throw thebundles onto waiting trucks. In some plants, certain other handling ofthe bundles may be required. For example, it may be necessary to loadthe bundles onto hand trucks or pallets or to stack the bundles out ofthe way for future loading on trucks.

The loaded trucks deliver the bundles to distribution stationsthroughout the city and to hotels, post ofiices, railroad stations,newsstands and the like. Wherever a bundle is delivered, it must behandled again, for example, by being thrown from the truck to aplatform, there to be again picked up and carried to a point of sale.

The men or handlers who must handle the bundles cannot grasp the cord orwire because of the injury to the fingers which results. It has been thepractice for the handler to lean over, grasp the bundle at its loweredges with both hands, to straighten the body while lifting the heavybundle and then to throw the bundle.

While handles have been heretofore suggested for attachment to the cordof packages, such prior devices are not practical for handlingnewspapers since they are not readily detachable.

The handle device of the present invention is so arranged that it willreadily catch the cord or wire on the top of the bundle and that it willremain, during the lifting and swinging of the bundle, safely and-firmlysecured to the bundle, while at the same time it is arranged to releasefrom the bundle in response to a mere flick of the wrist of the handler.

The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of thisinvention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. Theinvention itself, however, both as to its organization and method ofoperation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, maybest be understood by reference to the following description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawing,

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Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a device in accord with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the device in reduced scale in usein lifting or swinging a bundle of newspapers;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the position of thedevice in respect to a bundle of newspapers immediately followingrelease of the thrown bundle;

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the lip portion of the deviceengaged with a bundle cord; and

Fig. 6 is a view similar to that of Fig. 5 demonstrating the action ofthe lip during release of the bundle cord from the handle device.

As seen in Fig. 1 a preferred embodiment of my invention comprises ametal member shaped generally in the form of an equilateral triangle andhaving an upper cylindrical handle portion 1 forming the base of thetriangle, two flat leg portions 2 and 3 as the two sides of thetriangle, and a lip 4 at the apex at which the legs 2 and 3 join to formweb 5. The one of the legs which extends upwardly to the left from thelip and which is designated 2 in the drawings serves as a finger restfor the index finger in normal right-handed use of the device, while theleg 3 extending upwardly toward the right serves as a mere stiff joiningstructural element, holding the handle portion 1 and lip 4 in properrelation. Legs 2 and 3 are preferably identical and, in the illustratedembodiment, both, of course, contribute to the overall strength andrigity of the device. If the device is to be used in the left hand, aswill hereafter become apparent, leg 3 may function as the finger rest.

It is to be noted that the lip 4, as seen in Fig. 1, is rounded from endto end of the lip. In other words, the upper edge 6 of the lip is shapedto comprise a substantially continuous and smooth are which curvesdownwardly at the ends of the lip, and meets the ends of the straightlower edge of web 5 to form therewith an acute angle of approximately 50degrees in the illustrated embodiment.

Fig. 2 shows the device in side view. The cylindrical handle portion 1is seen to be rounded off into the leg 3, and the lip 4 extends upwardlyand outwardly from the plane of the legs to form a notch or groove 7 inwhich the cord or wire of a lifted bundle will be disposed. The

across the thickness of the lip. The roundness across the thickness ofthe lip at its upper edge, together with the curve of theupper edge 6from side to side as seen in Fig. 1, are important to the effectiveoperation of the device in connection with the release of bundles beingthrown.

The legs 2 and 3 of the device are preferably rounded at the edges toprevent any injury to the hand and to improve the appearance. Theroundness of the upper edge 6 of the lip, however, is important to theoperation of the device. The rounded edge 6 does not catch and tear thepaper as the lip is pulled across the upper surface of the bundle toengage the binding cord, the roundness of the edge 6 toward the notch 7minimizes any cutting 1 tendency of the lip on the cord and avoidscatching of the cord on the lip during release of the bundle, therebycausing the bundle to be released as later explained.

A bundle of newspapers is lifted by the handle by first dragging the lip4 across the top of the bundle, holding handle portion 1 in the hand,until lip 4 engages under the binding cord or wire of the bundle, andthen by lifting the handle into the position of Fig. 3. As there seen,the cord 8 which binds the bundle 9 of newspapers is engaged in thenotch formed against web 5 and behind the upturned lip 4. The forefingerof the right hand is in Patented June 5, i956 3 position against theback side of finger rest 2, while the remaining fingers grasp handle '1.Thethumb rests comfortably against the handle 1. It has been found thatthe bundle so held is readily controlled and guided by the hand and thatit may be accurately swung to permit accurate throwing by the handler.

The bundle as seen in Fig. 3 ma be swung forward and thrown, the handledevice being released therefrom as the bundle swings forward, asindicated in Fig. 4. As there seen, the bundle 9, of which only aportion is shown, has just been released from the handle device. Releaseis obtained by a sharp twist or snap of the handle device accomplishedby pressing with the index finger against rest or leg 2 while pullingwith the tip of the little finger against the handle adjacent the end ofleg 3. Looking down the arm of the handler, the twist of the device isthus seen as a counterclockwise twist. The twist should be rapidlyapplied and should occur just as most of the weight or pull of thebundle on the handle device is reduced at the top of the swing, as thearm approaches a horizontal position. It is desirable that there be aslight forward movement of the hand, in the direction in which thebundle is being thrown, at the moment of application of the twist.

The release of the cord 8 from the groove behind the lip 4 may befurther understood by reference to Figs. 5 and 6, showing details ofthe. lip portion of the device. During the period in which the handledevice is being employed to lift, carry and swing the bundle, the cord 8is seated or engaged in the notch 7 behind the lip as seen in Fig. 5.When a sudden twist is applied in the direction indicated by arrow 10,raising leg 2 and dropping leg 3 as they appear in Fig. 5, the cord orWire 8 rides up along the upper edge 6 of lip 4 as seen in Fig. 6. Asthe twisting motion of the handle device continues, the cord becomescompletely detached from the handle device. Usually, approximately aforty-five degree rotation of the handle device will be entirelysufficient to effect release, although up to the ninety degree rotationas seen in Fig. 4 may be conveniently accomplished and will insurerelease.

The notch 7 behind the lip is preferably sufliciently curved at thebottom of the notch to prevent the cord or wire of the bundle fromwedging therein. The radius of curvature of the bottom of the notch maybe, for example, about 1 /2 to 2 times the radius of the cord or wire.The lip 4 should form an angle with the plane of legs 2 and 3 of betweenabout 45 degrees and degrees taken between the surface of the webportion 5 formed at the apex portion of the device where the legs meet,and the inner surface of the lip 4 which generally faces the web 5.

It has been found important that the lip and notchbe disposed oppositethe center of the handle portion 1, that the finger rest 2 be positionedbetween the end of the handle portion and the center of the. lip, andthat the end of the handle portion engaged by the little finger beapproximately as far from the lip at its side as the thumb andforefinger end of the handleportion is toward the opposite side of thelip. Such arrangement not only balances the load comfortably in the handbut provides that the twist applied in releasing the load will be aboutsubstantially an axis passing through the center of the 4 notch andthrough the center of the handle portion, as suggested by the arrow 10of Fig. 5.

It has been found suitable to fabricate the device from an aluminumcasting, either forming the notch 7 in the casting or milling the notchfrom a lip 4 cast solid with the web 5. It may be desirable to form thehandle portion 1 hollow to conserve some weight and material. Otherpreferable light weight metals or alloys would be satisfactory, however,and the stronger molded plastic materials may be employed if desired.Alternatively, the device may be punched from heavy sheet metal, the lipbent from the blank, and comfortable wooden or metal grip blocks may beriveted or otherwise attached to the sides of the handle member. Anysharp edges remaining along the upper edge of the lip should be roundedoff, as with a file or grinding wheel, to insure proper operation of thedevice in releasing the cord as explained above, and sharp edges whichmight cut the hands should be rounded off as well.

While only certain preferred embodiments of this invention have beenshown and described by way of illustration, many modifications willoccur to those skilled in the art and it is, therefore, desired that itbe understood that it is intended in the appended claims to cover allsuch modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of thisinvention.

What is claimed as new and what it is desired to secure by LettersPatent of the United States is:

1. A. quick-releasable handle device comprising a gen erallyequilaterally triangular structure, and said structure comprising anelongated handle portion as the base leg of said triangular structure,two side legs extending from respective ends of said handle portionmeeting in a web portion at the apex of said triangular structure, a lipextending from said apex at an angle of between about 45 degrees and 20degrees to said web and forming a cord receiving notch between said lipand web, said lip having a rounded upper edge curving in a continuousare from one end of said edge to the other end and at its respectivesaid ends meeting each of the respective ends of said notch at an anglenot greater than approximately degrees to the axis of said notch,whereby a bundle cord engaged in said notch is released over said lip inresponse to a rapid twist of said handle device.

2. A cord-engageable, quick-releasable handle device comprising anelongated hand grip portion, a pair of legs extending from respectiveopposite ends of said grip portion and meeting in a web portion oppositeand spaced from the center of said hand grip portion, said web having agenerally straight edge along its far side from said. hand grip portion,a lip extending from said edge over said web and forming an elongatednotch between said lip and web, said lip having a curved free edgeforming a substantially continuous are between respective ends of saidcurved free edge and meeting at its saidends corresponding respectiveends of said straight References Cited in the file of this patent UNITEDSTATES PATENTS Lasher May 21, 1895 Smith Oct. 16, 1917

